Autumn is, hands down, my favorite time of the year. It always has been. As a child I loved the fall season because it brought a few of my favorite things, like my birthday and the start of a new school year and new school supplies. I was one of those kids who got more excited about the new pencils and notebooks than the school clothes or the thought of seeing my friends again. As an adult I find this time of the year is still full of some of my favorite things, though they, like me, have evolved.

Autumn brings cool breezes and scarecrows to the Idaho Botanical Garden located on Old Penitentiary Road. Throughout the garden in October, scarecrows created by local families, schools, artists, community organizations, non-profits and businesses, welcome garden visitors during the 8th annual Scarecrow Stroll presented by Icon Credit Union. Anyone can submit a scarecrow to celebrate the harvest season and everyone can vote for their favorite. The theme for 2015 is “HEROES” – from cartoon super heroes to extraordinary every day heroes like firefighters, teachers, doctors and moms! The 2014 winners were 1st Place: Dr. Mike Veterinarian – by Elaine Banbury, 2nd Place: Scale Craft – by Ustick Y Kids, and 3rd Place: Breaking Bad – by East Boise CRC.

Commercial Home Furnishings is holding its annual Pet Food Drive during the month of October. Bring in a five pound or larger bag of dried dog or cat food to any Home Furnishings location during the month of October and receive a $50 discount off of your purchase of $499 or above.

To get on board for a musical journey with Smooth Avenue, visit BoiseBlues.org/smooth-avenue-band or find them on Facebook.
If you’re a blues fan in Boise, you’ve probably heard Smooth Avenue—the six-piece blues band fronted by vocalist James ‘JT’ Tyler.
“People sometimes ask where the name Smooth Avenue comes from,” says Tyler. “A former band member commented that I have a smooth voice but it should have a few more ‘ooooo’s in the name. ‘Avenue’ comes from the idea that we take our listeners on a musical journey.”

With 23 years working in the health insurance industry, my experience tells me that we are clearly in an unprecedented time of change. The idea of finding and enrolling in a health insurance plan is a daunting task for most people. With over 60 plans to choose from, where do you begin? Who should I contact? How can I enroll? There are a numerous questions that need answers! For example, if you travel, you will need to account for medical coverage when you are out of the area.

The former Olympic Hotel in the historic Larson Building above Mulligans Pub and Eatery has long been nothing more than a forgotten, dust-collecting, dilapidated storage space—but times are changing. Renamed the Olympic Venue, the former-hotel-turned-special-events-space at 1009 Main Street in downtown Boise opened to the public in mid-June after being closed for years and years.

Chinden Boulevard has always been known as a place you could find a good watering hole, but drive down it these days and it’s hard not to notice that a change is taking place. Slowly, but surely, local craft wineries and breweries are staking claim to what was once the exclusive domain of bars and nightclubs. It’s testament to a burgeoning national industry that has been making its way into Idaho, and Garden City is not the only place it’s happening by any means.

My adventures in brewing and beer began in the mid 90s. At the time I worked for a small company in Solana Beach, California. A couple guys at work started home brewing, and would bring their beer in to sample on Friday afternoons. I was given a basic home brew kit as a gift, and soon my version of Dr. Frankenstein was set loose.

After last year’s styling tweaks to the S60, Volvo has given the car a midyear update that includes more technology and in-car connectivity.
One example is Volvo On Call, a smartphone app that lets you lock and unlock the car, read the fuel level, odometer, average speed and average fuel consumption remotely. It was most handy on a recent cold morning because I could start the car in my driveway so it could warm up but still have the doors locked.